Research Software Engineer

Cycling through NRW – Days 6 and 7

Day 6: Bassenge to Aachen

Distance: 70km

Duration: 5 hours

Route: Bassenge – Liege – Herstal – Vise – Gulpen – Vaals – Aachen

Accommodation: Friend (Nikola)

Highlight: The view of Liege from the north side

Day 6 started with a challenging way from Bassenge to Liege. Bassenge was already hilly, but to get to the city Liege, there was even higher hill to be crossed. So it was a hard 20 km ride, which was worth once I reached the highest point and I saw Liege just down the hill on the other side. It was an amazing panoramic view. There is a big hospital hidden in very nice forest with few points where Liege can be seen from the top.

The next part down to the city was very fast and short. In Liege, I made a sightseeing tour. This time I was carrying my bike around. Liege is very different city from the neighboring cities Aachen and Maastricht. It is very chaotic and very french. Liege and Maastricht are both on the Maas river and they are only about 30 km from each other. But they are very different. It is like these two cities never communicate.

Liege has some nice and new architecture, which is mixed with the old chaotic city. One of my favorite parts was the train station. It is an important hub for the fast trains in Belgium, designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava. Here is one photo from the outside.

After Liege, my goal for the day was to reach Aachen. So I cycled next to the river Maas in the direction of Maastricht. It was a very nice ride next to the river. Near the town Vise, which is next to the border of Belgium and the Netherlands, I crossed a bridge and left the river way. Shortly after I was in the Netherlands. I enjoyed again the nice bike ways and the cute small villages. I headed to the east to Germany. The way was going up again, but it was not difficult.

I reached the town of Gulpen, which I also passed one day earlier. From there I followed the same way until Aachen. This time I also entered through the border town Vaals, which has few nice buildings. Like this one:

Shortly after, I reached Aachen. This time I was hosted by Nikola, an old friend of mine.

This was the last long challenge of the tour. The goal of the day was to reach Bonn. The weather was very cloudy and a rain was expected. Luckily, I had only some drops of rain. The way after Aachen was a bit boring. Probably it was just the cloudy atmosphere and the fear of getting a heavy rain somewhere at the fields. There were also some lightnings.

The first break was at Düren. I walked a bit in the city center, but did not see anything special. It is just a regular city. I continued, and accidentally I discovered a small castle at Nörvenlich. Here is one photo:

After long way, I was near Bonn. The day was constantly dark. But near Bornheim there was a new light which made the fields around look amazing. The region is a bit hilly.

In the evening, I reached Bonn. There I met my friend Silvia, who hosted me for the night. We walked in the city and had a nice evening in the old town. Here is one photo from Bonn.